"Classic" Children's Novels I Recommend To Patrons and Friends
All of A Kind Family
by Sydney Taylor
First in a series about 5 little girls growing up at the turn of the century on the Lower East Side of New York. I learned a lot about Jewish culture from these books, but above all they're great family stories.
Anne of Green Gables
and all other books by L.M. Montgomery
They are aimed at children, but the picture of life in turn of the century Prince Edward Island is a delight for adults!
Ballet Shoes
by Noel Streatfield
Very English and very charming.
Betsy-Tacy
First of the series, by Maud Hart Lovelace
My older daughter(10) loves these too.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
First in the series by Hugh Lofting.
Don't settle for the movie messes made of these wonderful books!
Heidi
by Johanna Sypri
This is not that easy for a kid to read--and some may find it saccharine. But it's always enchanted me...
Little House in the Big Woods
first in the series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Another series my daughter loves as much as I do!
A Little Princess
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
There's only been one good version of this on film--a BBC mini series. If you haven't seen that one, you don't know this story!
Little Women
and all other books by Louisa May Alcott.
I read this first in 6th grade, but I didn't understand a lot of it until college..
The Moffats
by Eleanor Estes
A family you'd love to belong to.
Pinky Pye
also by Eleanor Estes
You don't have to be a cat lover to love this, and if you're not, Pinky just might convert you!
Mr Popper's Penguins
by Florence Atwater
The tone is deadpan but the humor is pure slapstick.
A well loved read aloud.
The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett
There have been good films of this, but nothing beats the book, especially with the delicate Tasha Tudor illustrations!
The Trumpet of the Swan
by E.B. White
I love Charlotte's Web , but kids should also meet Louis the mute swan who gains a voice and a love. And if you liked Make Way For Ducklings (another favorite of mine) you'll recognize one of the settings......
The Wind in the Willows
by Kenneth Grahame
Not a young child's book at all,but a beautifully written book about friendship, greed, self centeredness and love.
The best illustrations are by Ernest Shepherd. He was also the first (and only REAL!) illustrator of Winnie the Pooh!
Blueberries For Sal (& One Morning In Maine)
and other books by Robert McCloskey
The Nutshell Library
4 book set by Maurice Sendak
The music to go with the books is on:
Really Rosie by Carole King
Where the Wild Things Are
also by Maurice Sendak!
The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge
by Hildegarde Swift
(A beloved NY landmark!)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
and every other book by Eric Carle
Caps For Sale
by Esphyr Slobodkina
Madeline
by Ludwig Bemelmans
Beloved by little girls long before the toys or the movies!
Yes, I Read "Grownup" Books Too--When They're Worth It!
And These Are:
Silver Pigs
(1st of the Marcus Didius Falco mysteries) by Lindsey Davis
Welcome To Temptation
(and all other books) by Jennifer Crusie
Breakup
(Kate Shugak mysteries)by Dana Stabenow
And Ladies of the Club
by Helen Hooven Santmyer
The Cazalet Chronicles
(4 books) by Elizabeth Howard
Poldark
(the whole series)by Winston Graham
The Mitford Years
(series) by Jan Karon
Stranger In A Strange Land
(& just about any other book) by Robert Heinlein
Chocolate Heaven (Recipe for Pavlova)
Phooey. Giada is a Nigella wanna be and she doesn't compare.
Maybe people get a kick out of watching her whine about in her kitchen (which looks suspiciously like and is filmed in the same non-studio style as Nigella's show) and shmooze with her family. A lot of the show seems to have nothing to do with the food. Maybe viewers love vicariously watching the lifestyles of the rich and famous as Giada shops for $500 ($500!) shoes in Italy with her mom and rides a motorcycle with her adorable (not!) husband.
Passion? Where? Maybe about shopping. But isn't this supposed to be a show about FOOD?
About COOKING?
Nigella cooks with true gusto. She doesn't hesistate to get messy. She uses her hands when she cooks. She TASTES what she's cooking. She cheerfully admits that she likes using her mezzaluna knife because she's a clutz, but the mezzaluna makes her look competent. She doesn't try to make every meal look Martha Stewart perfect-- she's more concerned about the TASTE of her food! She sneaks off to the kitchen late at night to snack on leftovers, and admits there are meals that are supposed to serve 2 that she will scarf down all by herself on her own.
She's a mom, and she obviously adores her kids, Cosima and Bruno, but she doesn't drag them into every scene of every show. Occasionally they appear, but in a low key way. It's fun when she makes something and one of them clearly shows he DOESN'T think it's delicious--that's a real kid reaction! If you read her books, she doesn't pretend to be supermom, and expresses her own mixed feelings about parenthood.
Of course, I identify with her because she's Jewish, but not really raised so, my own sort of background.
And as the Man says "She's a brunette and she's NOT skinny". There's not much higher praise he can give!!
What I love best about Nigella though is that her recipes really work. They're not always to my taste, and sometimes I adjust them a bit to make them simpler, or a little healthier than the originals.
Tonight I made her Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberries from Forever Summer. It is not raspberry season, and I've found we love it with strawberries. I also cheat and use reduced fat whipped topping--not as elegant as heavy cream, but even my cholesterol, fat fearing mom will eat this dessert with the change in toppings!
You can buy dried egg whites at the supermarket, and I've found they work beautifully. They're fast and there's no worry about getting them to the right temperature--they whip up SO easily.
One of my favorite Nigella comments was that she always saves the egg whites in recipes that require egg yolks and freezes them, so that her freezer "resembles a sperm bank" I can't imagine Giada EVER saying such a thing, even OFF camera!
Bake this--it's pretty healthy, it's delicious, it's easy and it's CHOCOLATE. Bet you'll be tempted to follow Nigella's example and sneak down to the kitchen at midnight to scarf another slice!
Even Giada might....................
